RJD’s request to make Rabri leader of Opposition turned down by Bihar Legislative Council

Setbacks do not seem to be leaving Mr. Lalu Yadav. This time it is his wife being rejected as Opposition leader.

Deputy Chairman Harun Rashid of the Bihar legislative council on Friday rejected the claim of his wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi to the post of Leader of Opposition in the house.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) state unit President Ramchandra Purve on Thursday recommended the name of Rabri Devi on behalf of the party for the post of Leader of Opposition in the council, but Rashid rejected it on the grounds that the RJD does not have the requisite number of members in the council.

“RJD has only seven MLCs, but a party requires at least 9 MLCs to stake claim for the opposition leader in the council,” the Deputy Chairman said of the council said.

The council does not have a chairman since the end of five-year term of the previous incumbent Awdhesh Narayan Singh, on May 9 last. The RJD was at one stage claiming the chairman’s post in the face of reports that chief minister Nitish Kumar wanted Singh to continue.

However, the fall of the grand alliance government last week, in which the RJD was a partner and the formation of the successor JD (U)-BJP-LJP government, also headed as CM by Nitish Kumar, has upset the RJD plan for house chairmanship.

For the post chaos, Rasheed said that with nine members, Ghulam Ghaus had been made the leader of the opposition in the past, but there was no scope of the post going to a party with just seven members.

Now, the seat earmarked for the leader of opposition, facing the leader of the House, will remain vacant.